Do It Like a DJ

Launch djay 1.2. All of your iTunes tunes will be automatically listed in the native play list. Djay provides the standard features of any good DJ set up: a mixer for increasing the aural presence of one song over another in playback, dual equalizers, pitch, and tempo sliders for adjusting the sonic character of your songs, cue points for moving from points of one song to another, as well automation for when you’re ready to try crossfading (moving between two recorded songs). If you were thinking ahead, you’ve already listed your beats-per-minute (BPM) in your iTunes library. And if you didn’t know this already, being able to match the BPM rate will let you weave different songs with different tempos together while maintaining an entertaining consistency in your mix (translation: slowing down “YMCA” so that it segues into the slower and more down tempo “Feelings”). If you haven’t done this, djay 1.2 can do it for you automatically with a click on the Sync button along the bottom of the app window.

However, since we found djay 1.2’s native BPM feature to be a little slower than desired (a definite caution for live mixing), and many of us get paranoid about having all of our DJ eggs in one app basket anyway, there’s some cool freeware that you can use instead. Potion Factory’s Tangerine 0.9.2 beta on a 1.83GHz Core Duo iMac can BPM-analyze three songs a second in your iTunes library, which sets you up quite nicely to start beat-matching and even scratching, if it suits you. (Scratching, de rigeur in lots of hip-hop based DJ sets, used to be done by dragging the turntable needle across the vinyl. But that can all be done right here.) You want to avoid sudden volume peaks and strive for a barely noticeable sense of one song moving to the next. In iTunes, there’s also a Sound Check feature that does exactly the same thing, optimizing track volume for smoothness (the Join Tracks feature does sort of the same thing when you’re importing music).

Comments

DJ Reverend Rob

September 07, 2007 at 1:10pm

I agree that it's just not that easy for anyone to truly do what a DJ does. It takes a good ear, programming savvy, mixing skills, the ability to intuitively anticipate the crowd, and a good working knowledge of music theory and history.In that respect, I disagree with the article. I WILL, however, come down against those that say a computer DJ isn't a DJ. I've been DJ'ing for 21 years, & I've used pretty much every medium short of reel-to-reel or 8-track. I have, for the past year, been exclusively computer-based, and can say I'm just as good as I was when I was spinning vinyl or CDs. I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been able to mix like I could with physical media, but I can lay down a house or hip-hop mix just as tight as when I used vinyl, with the added extra that all of my music now fits on a hard drive in a small aluminum box, as opposed to several heavy crates of 12-inches or CDs. Have a couple cases of CD's stolen on you and you'll see how that convenience comes in handy. Substance over style. Marshal McLuhan was wrong: the medium is NOT the message, although the "vinyl junkies" would have you believe otherwise

Get Real

September 06, 2007 at 9:29am

Are you kidding me with this negative feedback? Of course it's a toy emulating how a DJ works. I mean, it's free, right? To sit here and complain about how this is disrespecting DJs worldwide is absolutely silly.

It's made to entertain - for you to be taking this so seriously leads me to two conclusions.
a) you like slapping people regardless of how illogically angry you are ove4r nothingness
b) you need a second hobby

Retro Bob

September 04, 2007 at 10:28am

Hey! What about http://www.dj1800.com ?
That's a full-featured playback & mixing program.
AND you get FOUR playback decks, not 2.
Uses your existing iTunes library.
And NO, I don't work for this company or related company,
I'm just another DJ who's been around longer than dirt.

Anonymous

August 24, 2007 at 2:33pm

i agree with that guy's comment... computer DJs are the worse. it's terrible. it's bad. i don't get why they're even called djs if they're not using discs anymore.. blargh.